Method of making forged-steel wheels



April 23, 1929. c. R. JERNBERG mswnon OF MAKING FORGED STEEL WHEELS Filed April 21, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 DIRECT/ON OP Ro'nqrz LOWAR 0/5 0 WITH RESPECT ro UPPER DIE Q Ca r Z $5507: art/darn Z51 April c. R. JERNBERG 1,710,058

METHOD OF MAKING FORGED STEEL WHEELS Filed April 21, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 #6 16 I? 2% 21 a: v l lllll llllllllII/IIAV//l {jWiWhIIfi/Illlllllllllll 25 3,5 62 25c 'ckai'drnzfy April 3, 1929. c. R. JERNBERG 1,710,058

METHOD OF MAKING FORGED STEEL WHEELS Filed April 21. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 $2 1 6 q" 55 4 g g- April 1929. c. R. JERNBERG 1,710,058

METHOD OF MAKING FORGED STEEL WHEELS Filed April 21, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 23, 1929. c, JERNBERG 1,710,058

METHOD OF MAKING FORGED STEEL WHEELS Filed April 21, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CA RL RICHARD JERNBERG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD FORGINGS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF MAKING FORGED-STEEL WHEELS.

Application filed April 21,

This invention relates to vehicle wheels having steel hub centers and spokes forged in a single piece.

The principal object of the invention is to develop a method of manufacture whereby a one piece steel forged spider for vehicle wheels'may be produced with desirable speed and economy.

Another object of the invention is to pro- -duce suitable mechanical means for practicing the method of manufacturing one-piece forged steel spiders for vehicles.

Heretofore spiders have been made comprising separately forged steel spokes, which later have either been separately bolted to a hub-center or been welded together and to the center. WVhile such devices possess certain advantages it is found that they possess certain disadvantages, do not hold up satisfactorily in use under all conditions of service, and are relatively costly to produce.

The invention consists in the method of manufacturing herein illustrated, described and more particularly set forth in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 indicates, in a perspective view, a block of metal, such as a steel ingot, from which an improved wheel is made by my method herein claimed.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of an upper die and of a portion of a lower die (the latter being partly in section) in juxtaposition with the metal blank shown in section upon the lower die and which I have found suitable for the practice of my new method.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the bottom of the upper die, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan View of the forged blank.

Figure 5 is a view of the stamping out or cutting dies, and the forged blank in position; the upper die being in side elevation and the blank and lower die in section.

Figure 6 is a central, vertical, sectional view through the cutting dies and forged blank after the cutting out operation.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the anvil or lower one of the cutting dies, partially broken away and with one pair of knife plates removed.

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of the upper one of the cutting dies, with two of the knife plates removed, looking up, as indicated by lower cutting die or anvil.

1926. Serial No. 103,472.

the arrows, on the dotted line 8-8 of Figure 5. 1

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the stamped out spider, the part of the blank trimmed oil' being indicated by the dotted line.

Figure 10 is a central, sectional view of the spider.

Figure 11 is a side elevation of the spider with the wheel rim attached, and

Figure-12 is a sectional view of the latter, the section being taken in the vertical plane indicated by the dotted line 12-12 of Figure 11.

In said drawings, A represents a steel ingot or billet as a whole, substantially rectangular in shape and of dimensions less than the diameter of the proposed spider, indicated as a whole at B. The ingot or billet may be of any desired thickness. The apparatus illustrated and now about to be described, I have found in practice to be peculiarly adapted for 75 the carrying out of my method. 1

C represents the upperforging die, D a lower forging die, mounted upon a suitable support 1, E the upper cutting die and F the The support 1 is a fixed part of a forging apparatus and the lower die I) is movably mounted thereon, to rotate in a horizontal plane by any suitable means, such for example as projections or sprocket teeth 4, spaced apart around the periphery of the body of the die D and adapted to be engaged by a sprocket chain 3.

The sprocket chain is actuated from any suitable source of power, not shown.

The upper die C is provided with a suitable upstanding flange member 0 adapted for attachment to the reciprocating hammer head of any suitable hammer (not shown) for giving a reciprocating movement, vertically, to and from the lower rotatable die D.

The top surface of the lower die D is suitably configurated with a central depression and a surrounding annular recess indicated at 5 and 6 respectively, to form one face of 100 the ingot A to the shape required for the disc or blank G at the end of the first or forging operation, as will be readily understood by those familiar with forging operations The lower face of the upper die is so eonfigurated as to cause the other face of the blank G to assume a similar configuration at the completion-of this first or forging operation, excepting that the upper die C has no central depression corresponding to the depresslon 5 1n the die D.

Said die 0 has a centrally located, convex- 1y curved or annular projection 7, surrounded by an annular, relatively narrow fiat surface 8. a It also is provided with a plurality of blades or vanes 9 which extend downwardly from a flat surface 10, the latter being in the same horizontal plane as the surface 8. When the upper and lower dies 0, D, are 1 1 1 juxtaposition. the surfaces 8 and 9 of the die (1 are parallel with the bottom surface of the recess 6 of the lower die D.

The lower or operating face of the vanes 9 is inclined, as shown in Figure 2, so that each vane is thicker at its outer part 11 at the periphery of the die C than at its inner part 12, and each vane 9 is widest at its outer portion 11, as shown in Figure 3. The outside wall 13 of each vane is shaped in a symmetrical, convex curve from the-part 11 to its end 12. The inner wall of the vane is concavely curved at 14 for the major portion of its length, beginning at 11,- the balance of the inner wall to the end 12 being given an annular curve 15 concentric with the projection 7. The meetin of'the inner ends of the walls 13 and 15 forms the end 12 of the vane 9, as shown clearly in Figure 3.

lVhen the heated ingot A is placed u on the top surface of the lower die D and su jected to repeated impact by the reciprocating upper die C, the lower die D being constantly rotated, the metal will be forged into the blank G (Figures 4 and 5), the part 16 from which the spokes of the completed article are to be taken being tapered from the small annular shoulder 17 towards the rough edge 18 of the blank.

The blank G is next subjected to cutting or stamping mechanism for shaping the spokes and trimming off the surplus metal. Such mechanism is illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, wherein the upper and lower cutting dies E and F respectively, are shown, disconnected from the machine proper and from means for actuating the upper die.

The anvil or lower die F is provided, as

clearly shown, with a central, cylindrical recess 19 defined by a circular wall 20. the top face 21 of which is below the plane of the top face 22 of the anvil. The anvil is also provided with a plurality of radially disposed recesses 23, corresponding with the number of'spokes to be cut in the blank G, said radial recesses extending inwardly from the top surface 22 of the anvil F. Suitable resilient means is located in the radial recesses 23 to support a table or movable plate 24, the latter being providedwith a downwardly pro- ]ectin extension 25 adapted for telescoping or sli ing hearing within the central cylindrical recess 19. I prefer to employ a pair of coiled springs 26 in each radial recess, as

screws 29, the plates being in pairs, and their proximate cutting edges 30 being configurated to form the ed es of the wheel spokes, as clearly shown in F igure 7 To the bottom of the projection 31 of the upper die E, I'secure a plurality of knife blades 32, by any suitable means, as by screws 33, the number of these blades corresponding with the number of radial recesses 23 in the anvil F. These blades are arranged radially, as shown in Figure 8, and their cutting knife edges 34 are shaped so as to be complemental with the cutting edges 30 of the knife plates 28, so that the proper shearing or cutting action of the blank G will occur, when the latter is placed upon the anvil F and the upper die E is operated from the position shown in Figure 5 to that shown in Figure 6. When in this latter position, it will be observed that the plate 24 will have been depressed and rests upon the top '21 of the wall 20, that the springs 26 will have been put under tension, and that spider B (Figure 9) will have been cut out of the blank G, the surplus metal of the blank thus cut away being that part of the b)lank within the dotted line 35 (Figure 9 The central part or web 36 of spider B is then bored out, as indicated at 37 in Figure 10. The arms of the spider constituting the spokes 38 of the completed wheel are then shaped to the particular design required, the ends 39 may be bent and punched for rivet or bolt holes. Also, the central ring or hub portion 40 may be punched with bolt holes 41. whereby the wheel may be bolted to the vehicle upon which it is to be used. The punching of the holes 41 may be accomplished before or in the same operation as the punching of the holes in the spoke ends 39.

Any suitable annular rim 42 may then be secured upon the spider B by rivets 43, or other suitable means. The metal wheel is now completed, ready for receiving a tire upon the rim 42 and to be bolted to the vehicle.

It will be noted that the function of the projection 7 on the upper die C is to define the spider center, and that the flat concentric surface 8 and the concentric wall 15, cooperating with the surface recess 6 of the lower die D. define the central rim or hub portion 40 of this spider. Also by making each vane thicker at its outer portion 11 than at its inner portion 12, the necessary co-operation is obtained between the inclined contacting faces of the vanes and the outer face of the lower die D which is concentric with the surface 6, whereby the part 16 of the blank G is given the desired taper from the shoulder 17 to its edge 18. Thus the tapering of the spokes 38 of the spider is automatically produced in the forging operation; the concaveconvex shape given to the side walls of the tapered vanes 9, providing means for the metal to be properly worked for this purpose.

The form of the vanes illustrated, I have found in practice, to produce excellent results in carrying out my invention, but I do not desire to be limited to the precise geometric shape shown, and obviously some modifica tions thereof will be necessary when producing blanks of other configurations than that given to the blank G. Y

I have chosen to describe my method of manufacture as it is practiced in order to produce what I term'a forged steel spider, comprising an annular portion and an integral web portion cut to form spokes. Obviously, the particular arrangementof the cutting knives may be varied, without affecting the method of forging, and after the web plate indicated at G in Figure 4 has been produced by the forging method described, the spoke cutting operation may be eliminated, and the trimming be confined to the perimeter of the disc and to the cutting of the central opening for the hub, or the shape of the openings to form the spokes may be varied. v

It is to be noted that the metal rim 42 may be of various cross-sectional designs to suit the particular needs of the form of tire to be applied thereto. It is also to be understood that with some forms of rim, the. rim and the spider may be integral instead of being separate and secured by rivets 43 as shown.

L The method and apparatus described and. illustrated produce rapidly and cheaply, a

' one piece splder wheel, which is effective and durable in use and superior to those spiders wherein the forged spokes are bolted or welded.

I claim as my invention: 1. The improvement in the method of producing a finished forged steel web plate for vehicle wheels from a rough steel billet of greater thickness than the finished article,

which consists in forming a disc with an annular portion and an integral tapered portion between the. annular portion'and the perimeter of the disc by one forging operation wherein only one set of forging dies is utilized.

2. The method of producing a forged steel web plate for vehicle wheels from a steel billet, which consists in forming a disc provided with an annular portion and an integral portion of less thickness than the annular portion between said annular portion and the perimeter of the disc, by a single forging operation, in cutting a central opening through said annular portion, cutting through the tapered portion to form spokes, and bending the peripheral portion to form a flange.

3. The method of producing a forged steel spider for vehicle wheels, which consists in subjecting a steel billet to one forging operation to produce a disc provided with an annular portion and an integralv tapered portion between said annular portion and the perimeter of the disc, in cutting a central opening in said annular portion, cutting the tapered portion to form spokes, and bending the peripheral portion to form a flange.

4. The method of producing vehicle wheels, which consists in forging a steel billet into a disc having an annular portion with parallel faces and gradually tapering from said annular portion to the periphery of the disc,

in punching out the center of the annular portion, in trimming the outer portion of the forged disc into a true circle concentric with the annular portion, in punching out the tapered part to form a. plurality of tapered spokes. in bending the ends of said spokes to form flanges, in providingbolt holes in said flanges and in said annular portion, and in securing a metal rim to the ends of the spokes.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature this 17th day of April, 1926.

CARL RICHARD J ERN BERG. 

